NYS Department of Environmental Conservation

Attention, outdoor enthusiasts! Some hunting seasons start soon—for example, regular and bowhunting bear season begins this weekend, 9/14, in the Northern Zone. Even if you’re not a hunter yourself, keep in mind that you are sharing the woods with other people who may be.

Nearly 700,000 New Yorkers and over 50,000 non-residents hunt in the Empire State. NYS is one of the safest states for deer and bear hunting due to our safety regulations; but as a general safety tip, even non-hunters simply hiking the trails should consider wearing bright colors to stand out!

For more info on hunting seasons, check https://dec.ny.gov/things-to-do/hunting/seasons.

For the latest notices and updates on the Adirondack Backcountry, head to https://on.ny.gov/adkbackcountry.

This Saturday, September 14, at 2 p.m., join educators Chris Bowser and Amy Oblitas-Rojas LIVE from Science on the River, a free open house event at the Norrie Point Environmental Center in Staatsburg, NY. Learn about activities happening at the event, such as fishing, canoeing, art, live birds of prey, and more!

For more information about Science on the River: https://hrnerr.org/science-on-the-river-2024.

Can you be-leaf it? Week 1️⃣ of the I LOVE NEW YORK Fall Foliage Report is here!

New York State’s 2024 fall foliage season is underway, with the first signs of the spectacular seasonal colors to come appearing in several Upstate New York regions.

🍂 For more information, visit https://www.iloveny.com/things-to-do/fall/foliage-report/.

Did you know DEC has its own tree nursery? The Colonel William F. Fox Memorial Saratoga Tree Nursery:

🌱 Produces more than 1.5 million seedlings annually.
🌱 Maintains more than 200 acres for seed production and has orchards located across the state.
🌱 Is currently growing more than 6 million seedlings of over 50 different species!

But the Nursery needs your help! Due to seed shortages, the Nursery is looking to purchase fruit and cone from the public for the seed procurement program. Fruit and cones should be collected from live or freshly cut trees, starting from when they are mature or ripe until they begin to open (for cones). All fruit and cones must be received at the nursery by November 15th.

❗ Please note that the Nursery is in need of specific tree species of fruits and cones ❗

🌲 Check out the DEC website for more info on seed collecting, the purchasing process and payments: https://dec.ny.gov/nature/forests-trees/saratoga-tree-nursery

📷: Bur oak acorn by Franklin Bonner, USFS (ret.), Bugwood.org; white spruce cones by Paul Wray, Iowa State University, Bugwood.org; shellbark hickory nut by Dan Muller, Flickr.

📢 MIGRATORY BIRD HUNTERS: PROTECT THE GAME, DON’T SKIP HIP!

The Harvest Information Program (HIP) is a legally required registration for migratory bird hunters of all ages that helps biologists manage migratory birds. Migratory game birds include ducks, geese, brant, rails, coots, gallinules, woodcock, and snipe.

🦆 For more information, visit https://dec.ny.gov/regulatory/permits-licenses/sporting-and-use/sporting/hunting-license/harvest-information-program.

Join Long Island Freshwater Fisheries staff for their 5th Annual Women’s Fly Fishing Expo at Connetquot River State Park Preserve on Saturday, September 14.

🗺 Connetquot River State Park Preserve, 4090 Sunrise Hwy, Oakdale, NY 11769
🗓 September 14, 2024
🕙 10:00 am - 2:00 pm

❗️Please note: registration for the clinics is full, but come on out to get on a day-of waitlist and enjoy other fun activities like knot tying, hatchery tours, and more!

Environmental Conservation Police Officer (ECO) Anderson recently joined the Blue Point Fire Department for a “Touch-a-Truck” event during a block party in Blue Point, NY. Attendees got to look inside and explore emergency vehicles and equipment used by first responders.

ECOs also participated in this year’s The Great New York State Fair in Syracuse, hosting a display exhibit featuring unlawful items made from endangered species, which were seized by DEC’s Division of Law Enforcement. Most of the items were illegally offered for sale and then forfeited to the State as part of a criminal or administrative action. Items displayed included full body wolf and leopard mounts, a walrus skull, s***m whale teeth, crocodile purse, elephant footstools, and numerous other ivory items.

For details on these and other recent ECO stories: https://on.ny.gov/3XHvi2A

Division of Law Enforcement (DLE) Director Przyklek, Captain Komonchak, and Lieutenant Levanway—all 9/11 World Trade Center first responders—attended the World Trade Center memorial service today with DEC Region 2 members in New York City.

Pictured here are DEC staff and members of the Division of Law Enforcement at the World Trade Center Memorial. Director Przyklek (middle) is wearing the names and badge numbers of DLE members who have succumbed to 9/11 illnesses.

DEC is tracking smoke at high altitudes traveling from Western US wildfires. Although some visible smoke could filter down to surface levels—particularly in Western NY—in the next couple of days, DEC is forecasting ‘Good’ Air Quality levels statewide today, September 11.

Bonus: colorful sunsets! 🌅

While the early bird gets the worm, the early biologist gets the bird! DEC recently completed its 23rd season operating the MAPS station at Five Rivers Environmental Education Center in Albany County.

What is MAPS? Glad you asked! MAPS stands for Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship, a program managed by Institute for Bird Populations (IPB). Our station is part of a network of over 1,200 banding stations across the U.S. and Canada that collect key demographic data during the breeding season to help scientists monitor productivity, recruitment, and survival of many songbird species. Say what? We’re studying how many and which kinds of birds are nesting, how many young are produced, and how many return year after year.

Fueled by caffeine and a love for birds, biologists arrive before the sun rises to set up nets and get ready for the day. Each bird is carefully removed from the net and brought back to the station where it is fitted with an aluminum leg band with a unique 9-digit number. We determine species, age, and s*x based on several characteristics, as well as taking several other measurements of the bird’s fitness before releasing the bird. We band many common birds – robins, sparrows, and catbirds – but also several Species of Greatest Conservation Need such as blue-winged warbler, black-billed cuckoo, and brown thrasher.

🐦 Want to learn more? Visit IPB’s website about the MAPS program: https://www.birdpop.org/pages/maps.php

🐦 Check out a video of biologists at work at the station here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gV9OZ5KPkzM

🐦 If you observe a banded bird, please report it to the federal Bird Banding Lab at www.reportband.gov.

Join Hudson River Estuary Educator, Chris Bowser, for a Facebook Live tomorrow, September 11, at 2:30 p.m., where he will be seining and talking about the upcoming Science on the River event at Norrie Point Environmental Center!

Learn more about the event, here: https://hrnerr.org/science-on-the-river

It's been a busy time for the Northville Placid trail.

On September 6, Ray Brook Dispatch received a call from Hamilton County 911 about an SOS beacon that had been activated on the Northville Placid Trail in the Blue Ridge Wilderness. A hiker had fallen approximately 10 feet while transitioning from a foot bridge to the trail and landed head-first in a rock pile. A member of his hiking party is a wilderness first responder and reported head and possible spinal cord injuries. A total of seven Rangers used a backpack litter to carry the subject 1.5 miles to Indian Lake EMS and a LifeNet helicopter, which transported the hiker to the hospital for additional treatment.

And, this past summer, tornadoes and storms affected several areas across New York State—one of which was the Northville Placid Trail, south of Piseco. Over the course of a week, Northville Supervising Forester DeSantis worked with Forest Rangers and the Northville Placid Trail crew to clear, sign, and reclaim over 7 miles of trail.

For details on these and other recent Forest Ranger stories, head to: https://on.ny.gov/3ToMwiT.

September is National Preparedness Month! Join us for a Facebook LIVE tomorrow, September 10, at 10 a.m. to learn about storm preparedness for your trees—what to do after a storm hits, and how to help trees be more resilient to future storms. Hope to see you there!

This past Saturday, volunteers from across the state came out to celebrate the first ever Adirondack & Catskill Park Day! Campground facilities were cleaned, pollinator gardens were restored, and trails were rehabbed throughout NY’s unique Forest Preserve lands. Thank you to all the wonderful volunteers, staff, and partners who made this day possible! We hope to see you again next year!

This campaign was created in partnership with DEC, Parks & Trails New York, NY State Parks & Historic Sites, and NYS Canal Corporation. Be sure to check out our other Stewardship Day Events at https://on.ny.gov/4aVwKTl.

Do you go fishing along the Atlantic coast from North Carolina to Maine? Has a predator taken your fish while fighting it on the end of the line?

A team from the University of Massachusetts Amherst is conducting a survey on depredation - when a predator partially or wholly consumes an angler’s catch before it is landed. Researchers from UMass Amherst are asking saltwater anglers from Maine to North Carolina to complete this https://umassamherst.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cSBJ6y8khaAKRfg so that they can better understand shark depredation and how it is impacting anglers in our region.

The survey is being conducted by the Danylchuk Lab at UMass Amherst https://www.umass.edu/natural-sciences/about/directory/andy-j-danylchuk and will be available to anglers from July 2024, through the end of October 2024.

You'd forget the lyrics too if you had to beat your wings 70 times PER SECOND.

Ruby-throated hummingbirds can fly backwards and even upside down. They can hover like a helicopter, flying in place while sipping nectar from flowers.

📷: Zach Vaughan

Your woods may look strong and indestructible, but they might not be growing the next generation of trees. Apply for funding through New York’s Regenerate New York Program and grow tomorrow’s forests, today!

The Regenerate New York Forestry Cost Share Program provides landowners who own 5 or more acres with money to improve your forest. Your forest can benefit from simple management strategies to promote young trees in the face of stressors like deer, forest pests, invasive species, and even climate change.

To find out more about how Regenerate New York can help keep your forest healthy, visit https://dec.ny.gov/nature/forests-trees/private-forest-management/regenerate-new-york-grant-program

Photo Credit: Josh Birnbaum for the National Association of State Foresters

It’s Adirondack and Catskill Park Day—a day of stewardship dedicated to New York’s Forest Preserve! Looking for a way to give back to our public lands? Purchase one of our Trail Supporter Patches for $5! Funds go directly to maintaining non-motorized trails on DEC lands across the state, including parts of the Finger Lakes Trail, the Long Path, and the Northville-Placid Trail.

For more information on purchasing a patch, visit: https://dec.ny.gov/things-to-do/hiking/trail-support-patch.

Learn more about Adirondack and Catskill Park Day at: https://www.ptny.org/events/love-our-new-york-lands

Come visit DEC staff at the Columbia County Climate Carnival on Saturday, September 14th! You’ll find information on electric vehicles, renewable energy, outdoor recreation, composting and waste reduction along with food, music, and even a repair café.

The event is held at the Columbia County Fairgrounds at 182 Hudson Ave. in Chatham from 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM. We’ll see you there!

Leaf peeping season is almost here! Red Maple trees are the early birds of the foliage changers, so keep an eye out for their vibrant red leaves. Continuously moving when you’re outdoors on chilly fall days helps you stay warm, but we all know how mesmerizing those leaves can be. Here are some ways you can stay warm while stopping to admire the view:
🍁 Layer up, and keep your extremities covered with gloves and a hat,
🍁 Consider bringing a warm beverage in an insulated bottle to sip on, and,
🍁 Opt for frequent small snacks to increase your body temperature (bonus points if they are easy to open so you don’t need to remove your gloves!).

Head to https://on.ny.gov/adkbackcountry for recent Adirondack Backcountry notices and seasonal tips to help you get the most out of your adventure.

📣 Volunteers will be helping to clean up the Kaaterskill Falls area on Saturday, September 7th from 10:30am – 3: 00pm as part of the first-ever Adirondack & Catskill Park Day.

There is still time to register! Volunteers of all ages are welcome. Parking will be limited at the Laurel House Parking Lot. Be sure to arrive early. Visitors may want to choose an alternate outdoor adventure.

ℹ️ Learn more about Love Our New York Land Stewardship Days by visiting, https://dec.ny.gov/get-involved/events/2024/9/adirondack-and-catskill-park-day.

Have you noticed the leaves beginning to change color? The trees’ fall fashion statement is caused by a number of different environmental factors, with the brightest and longest-lasting colors occurring when we have sunny days and cool nights above freezing.

This fall, check out the I Love New York weekly fall foliage reports to keep up to date on the foliage color changes across the state: https://www.iloveny.com/things-to-do/fall/foliage-report/

The NYS Birding Trail just added three new sites where you can check out the fall migration! 🐦

Well known for its migratory warblers, Peach Hill Park in the Hudson Valley Region is a 157-acre park and former orchard. The area supports multiple habitats and boasts 167 eBird species! Visit their hiking trails through the orchard, leading to spectacular views in all directions at the highest point of Poughkeepsie.

Gleason Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary and Northrup Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary, both managed by the Chemung Valley Audubon Society and located in the Southern Tier Region, offer acres of diverse wildlife preserve habitat to enjoy. The Gleason property is predominantly forested with trail that loops through beech, hemlock, white pine and northern hardwood stands, with a small pond and intermittent stream. Take in the surrounding countryside from the 1,700 foot elevation on the Northrup Hill property, which includes a variety of habitats, including grasslands, and a hardwood tract leading to a wetland marsh.

💁 Visit www.ibirdny.org to find a Birding Trail site near you!

The 27th Annual Youth Waterfowl Program for young hunters on Long Island ages 12 to 15 will be held Saturday, Oct. 19, and Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024.

The Youth Waterfowl Program is a special event to help junior hunters prepare for and participate in Youth Waterfowl Days. The program includes instruction in:
• Hunting ethics and regulations;
• Waterfowl identification;
• Fi****ms safety review;
• Retriever and decoy use;
• Cold water survival and boating safety; and,
• Trap shooting.

The Youth Waterfowl Program instructional course is set for Oct. 19, and the designated hunting day is Nov. 9.

Certified hunter education instructors and DEC Environmental Conservation Police Officers (ECOs) guide participants through the program and help youth hunters become part of the long tradition of waterfowl hunting on Long Island.

For more information on how to register for this mentored hunting opportunity, please visit the event registration page, here: https://www.register-ed.com/events/view/217918.

To find additional mentored hunting opportunities in your area, visit the events listings page: https://www.register-ed.com/programs/new_york/260-huntfishny.